Does anyone have recent experience with the process of obtaining a permit to demolish a non-load bearing internal wall in a PPE apartment? We have this 50 years old place in Vaud and the kitchen is only 1.8m wide so it would make sense to open it up to the living room, but not sure how long/ arduous is the permit process…I’ve read accounts of people just going for it but we’d rather do it by the book…Thank you for your input!
Not in Vaud, but I just went ahead and did it without applying for any permit. It was exactly the same thing, opened the kitchen up to the dining room. We also remove the false ceiling.
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It is the logical thing to do… DId it take a long time to receive the permit?
I didn’t ask for one.
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If it’s internal, is non structural and the work doesn’t affect the external characteristics why would you need a permit. You might be wise to get an architect’s opinion on the non-structural claim. You don’t want your neighbours dropping in unexpectedly.
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What is relevant if if your internal changes affect the “Ausnutzungsziffer” (usage ratio). For example, our house has high ceilings, and we’ve considered putting in a mezzanine level. However this would push the living space beyond the usage ratio for the property, which is not permitted.
In the Vaud village where I live the local authorities inspected a pure totally legal non-structural renovation works of a neighbour standalone house (painting, tiles, etc) - probably acting on a nosy neighbor alert.
When I asked the “service technique” of the commune what should I inform them about (a standalone house) - the response was “any change in walls, whether load bearing or not”.
However, that (in theory) didn’t imply any further paperwork or permits. I found it excessive and I relate to Phil_MCR approach 
I would say, for the sake of good neighbor relations, if this is a flat and not a terraced house, I’d let know the neighbors so that they’re not alarmed by the noise of wall removal, and I would ask someone else to call the commune to ask what they expect (no paper trail, you might still decide what to do).
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We removed an internal wall between 2 rooms (“we” means me - my wife just instructed/managed :p).
Emailed the gemeinde, who sent me a little red folder. You submit what you want to do, a few questions around costs (they were surprised I was doing the work myself), and that was about it…
Hi,
I’m an architect based in Vaud. If there’s not change in the external appearance or internal use, you might just need to inform the Municipality, but you should not go through a full on Planning Permission. Each Municipality has its own norm, therefore better to check with them first anyway. Let me know if you have any further question. Giada
Check if it’s load bearing first.
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Now that you mention it … ooops.